The 6-foot-4, 170-guard will not be able to change his mind and come to college after signing with an agent. Simons would
have to be selected in the first round — 30 selections — to receive a guaranteed contract.

Simons is able to forego college because he is playing for IMG Academy as prep year after graduation from high school in 2017.

It was worth the gamble for Barnes to go all in on Simons even with this always being a possibility. The Vols only have one
roster spot this season and need to replace backup guard James Daniel.

Simons would have brought a scoring pop to the backcourt and perhaps added a bit more consistency to the group.

Tennessee had been trending in the right direction for a while. Memphis hiring Penny Hardaway would have likely brought Simons
to the other side of the state, though. Hardaway’s son, Jayden, is teammates with Simons at IMG.

The Vols turn their attention elsewhere now.

James Akinjo is a 4-star point guard who picked up a Tennessee offer after being released from his National Letter of Intent
by UConn after the firing of Kevin Ollie.

Class of 2019 guard Jalen Lecque received a visit from Tennessee on Wednesday.